Blade handling mechanism



2 Sheets-Sheet l W. F. WERNER BLADE HANDLING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 28, 1935 Sept. 22, 1936.

Sept. 22, 1936. w. Fl WERNER r 2,055,245

' BLADE HANIYDLING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 28, 1933 2 Sheets-Shee t 2 QM W 1415111.

Patented Sept. 22, 1936 airs!) STATES PATENT OFFIQE BLADE HANDLING MECHANISM Application December 28, 1933, Serial No. 704,315

15 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for handling blades or similar articles which it is desired to present consecutively and accurately to the operation of tools for performing any desired operation thereon. An important field of use of the invention is in connection with the manufacture of thin flexible safety razor blades and for purposes of illustration the invention will be disclosed in that connection.

In the manufacture of safety razor blades it is often convenient or desirable to assemble quantities of blades in stacks for purposes of treatment or transportation and subsequently to separate the individual blades from the stacks and present them one by one togrinding, honing or stropping wheels or to marking devices for imprinting trade mark or other insignia thereon. In one aspect the present invention consists in a magazine for stacked blanks in combination with a belt carrier adapted to receive. the blades one by one from the magazine and to present them accurately and securely in position to be operated upon one after another. In another aspect the invention comprises a novel mechanism for withdrawing indi- 25 Vidual blades from a stack contained in the magazine and positioning them upon a belt carrier.

As herein shown the magazine of my invention is designed to contain a supply of blades in a vertical stack and has means adjacent to the lower end of the magazine for supporting the stack in such a manner as to leave the lowermost blade free to be flexed for removal from the magazine in the delivering step. By this construction it is possible to separate the lowermost blade from those above it in the stack and to remove it from the magazine by endwise movement wherein it is drawn obliquely out from between the bottom of the stack and the support or rest therefor.

Another important feature of my invention consists in blade-deflecting or selecting mechanism arranged to be actuated by the carrier belt itself in its movement with reference to the magazine. In this manner accurate timing of the whole mechanism is insured since the blades are removed from the magazine at a rate directly proportional to the travel of the carrier belt and in exact registration with blade engaging projections or other characteristics of the belt.

50 In the illustrated embodiment of my invention a suction device is utilized for engaging and defleeting the lowermost blade in the stack although I contemplate that mechanical means may be employed with certain advantages. As herein 55 shown, two suction nozzles are mounted so as to pass upon opposite sides of the carrier belt in 60 explained, is effected by the carrier belt itself,

so that each blade is removed from the stack exactly in the proper time to register with the designated portion of the carrier which is to advance the blade to the operating tools.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of so much of the mechanism as is necessary to understand its operation;

Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the air nozzlecarrier and associated parts;

Fig. 3 is a View in side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. l, partly in section and with the belt pulley omitted;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in section and on an enlarged scale, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View in front elevation, partly in section, of the parts adjacent to the lower or delivery end of the blade magazine;

Fig. 6 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, on the line 66 of Fig. '7; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the lowermost blade in process of being extracted from the bottom of the magazine.

The. embodiment of the present invention herein shown includes in its organization a magazine for retaining a sup-ply of individual blades arranged in a vertical stack, together with a horizontally moving carrier belt and means for removing the blades one by one from the bottom of the stack and delivering them to the carrier belt upon which they then become arranged in sequence and by which they are presented to grinding or honing instrumentalities not herein shown.

The magazine comprises a pair of spaced vertical bars [0 and I2 provided on their opposed faces with longitudinal corner strips l3, shown in cross-section in Fig. 6, which give the bars a contour corresponding to that of the blade end and thus provide the end walls of the magazine. The right hand bar l2 of the magazine is provided at its lower end with an angle retaining plate l4 having a portion which extends inwardly beneath the face of the magazine .and serves as a rest or support for the stack of blades I8 therein. The lower portion of the retaining plate is of sufficient length to maintain the blades in the stack substantially in horizontal position, the width of the magazine being such as to keep the blade fully seated thereon. In general it may be said that the magazine fits the end contour of the blades with suflicient accuracy to prevent any noticeable transverse displacement thereof, while at the same time permitting them to pass freely through the magazine in a vertical direction. The free end of the plate I4 is provided with forks l5, best shown in Fig. 4, which act positively to guide the rear end of the blade with proximity to the belt carrier as it is drawn from above the horizonta face of the plate Hi.

The specific magazine herein shown is designed to accommodate and handle blades l6 of the type best shown in Fig. 6, which are provided at their corners with reentrant notches defining central elongated unsharpened end portions. These particular blades are provided with an internal aperture or perforation in the shape of .an elongated slot transversely enlarged to form three spaced openings of substantially circular outline and other narrower enlargements. It will be understood that it is fully within the scope of the invention to modify the outline of the magazine to accommodate blades of different contours as desired.

The magazine ill-l2 is bolted to a stationary frame 58 located adjacent to or forming a part of a grinding machine or other machine for operating on the blades supplied from the magazine. Blades delivered from the magazine li]l2 may be conveyed to grinding or honing wheels by means of a horizontally moving carrier belt 22 provided with spaced studs 24. One of the pulleys 26 over which this belt runs is shown in Fig. 1 and it will be understood that there is another corresponding pulley located beyond the grinding or honing instrumentalities.

The frame I8 is provided with a forwardly extending stationary bracket 28 in the upper surface of which is inserted a hardened guide plate 30 having a channel shaped to accommodate the studded belt 22 and to guide it accurately to the magazine i0l2. A similar bracket l9 carries a second guide plate 20 located in position to control the path of the belt as it travels away from the magazine, the guide plates 20 and 30 thus cooperating to maintain the belt accurately in position during its passage beneath the magazine. The mechanism for successively removing the lowermost blade from those in the stack is actuated by the studded belt 22 as it passes through the guide plate 33. Journaled in the stationary bracket 28 is a short vertical shaft 32 having a collar at its upper end to which is bolted a disk 34 having four radially extending slotted arms. The disk 34 is so disposed with reference to the threaded belt 22 that alternate studs 24 thereon enter the slotted arms of the disk successively and rotate the same through 90. Each intermediate stud is located on the belt so as to clear the slotted arms of the disk, as best shown in Fig. 4. To the lower end of the Vertical shaft 32 is secured a rotary cam 36 having four throws in its periphery and these bear a definite relation to the slotted arms of the disk 34. The cam 38 is arranged to engage and operate a cam roller 38 rotatably mounted in a forked swing piece 40 arranged to swing about the horizontal axis supplied by two trunnion screws 42 projecting outwardly respectively from adjustable bars 44 secured in place in slots in the sides of the magazine bar l2.

As best shown in Fig. 2 the swing piece 40 is branched or forked so as to embrace the ends of the bar 52 and the adjusting bars 44 which project slightly below the end of the bar 82. The cam roller 38 is mounted in a recess formed in the downwardly extending arm of the swing piece 45 and the outwardly projecting arm of the swing piece is widened toward its ends and carries two upwardly extending air suction nozzles 46, these being arranged to straddle the studded belt 22, so that they may be moved upwardly on either side thereof into contact with the surface of the lowermost blade I6 of the stack. Each suction nozzle 46 is connected at its lower end to a flexible suction tube 48 by which continuous air suction is maintained at the orifices of both air nozzles 46. A tension spring 50 connected to the downwardly extending portion of the swing piece acts to hold the cam roll 38 always in contact with the pe riphery of the cam 36 and to swing the air nozzles downwardly, when permitted to do so, to an initial position shown in Fig. 1 below the plane of the belt 22. It will be noted that each throw of the cam 36 is shaped to move the swing piece 40 first to the limit of its blade-engaging movement, as in Fig. 5, and then immediately to permit the same to drop back about halfway and rest for an interval of about 20 and finally to return to initial position where it remains for an interval of about 45.

From an inspection of Figs. 5, 6, and 7, it will be apparent that when the swing piece 48 is oscillated in a clockwise direction the two air suction nozzles 46 are moved upwardly on either side of the studded belt 22 into contact with the lower surface of the lowermost blade in the stack at two points near the free end of the blade, that is to say, the end opposite to the retaining plate Hi. When the cam roller 38 passes over one of the high portions of the cam 36 the swing piece All is moved in a counterclockwise direction into the position shown in Fig. 'l' and the free end of the lowermost blade i5 is dragged downwardly by air suction into substantial contact with the upper face of the belt 22 and in such position that one of the studs 24 thereon immediately enters and becomes interlocked with one of the circular openings in the blade. As soon as a stud 24 has entered the blade it carries the latter toward the left. Its free end is advanced beneath the lower end of the magazine bar Ill and its rear end is gradually drawn out from between the retaining plate M and the next lower blade in the stack. As soon as the rear end of the blade has passed beyond the forward edge of the retaining plate l4 it drops in a guided manner between the forks l5 upon the surface of the belt 22 and the next stud 24 on the belt passes into the correspondingly located circular openings in the blade. The blade is thus positively and accurately located in position upon the feeding belt 22 and is positively advanced thereby to the grinding or honing instrumentalities or to whatever other tools it is desired to subject the blade.

It will be noted that the movement of the feeding belt 22 is continuous and that the belt itself actuates the air suction nozzle intermittently and in accurately timed relation to the studs 24, so that the lowermost blade in the stack is removed from the magazine accurately and surely. The blades which are disposed originally in a vertical stack in the magazine therefore become distributed in a straight line spaced in end-to-end relation upon the horizontally moving belt 22. It will be noted, moreover, that on account of the relationship between the feed belt 22 and the blade removing mechanism that the speed of the feed belt may be varied within any desired limits since the oscillation of the swing piece All must necessarily conform exactly in time to the travel of the studs upon the belt. One factor which contributes to the accuracy of the result is that the feed belt 22 is positively guided by the plate 3!] in that portion of its travel wherein it actuates the slotted disk 34.

Having thus explained my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for stacked flexible blades having internal perforations, a studded carrier movable adjacent to said magazine, and an intermittently actuated device for deflecting successive blades from said magazine to engage the perforations thereof with the studs of the moving carrier.

2. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for stacked perforated blades, a carrier belt movable beneath the magazine, means for engaging the lowermost blade in the magazine and deflecting it toward said belt, and a series of projections on said belt movable in a path to enter a perforation of the blade while deflected.

3. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for holding a stack of perforated, flexible blades, means for supporting the stack with one end of the lowermost blade free to be flexed out of the magazine, a movable blade carrier having means for engaging the perforations of a blade, and means for flexing the lowermost blade in the stack into contact with said carrier.

4. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for holding perforated flexible blades in a vertical stack, a support for the stack arranged to leave one end of the lowermost blade free to be flexed downwardly, a blade carrier movable beneath said magazine and having a projecting member designed to enter the perforation of a blade, and a blade-deflecting device operated by the carrier for flexing the lowermost blade into position to be engaged by the carrier while flexed.

5. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for holding flexible blades in a vertical stack, a support for the stack arranged to leave one end of the lowermost blade free, a blade carrier having spaced blade engaging studs movable beneath said magazine, and a movable blade-deflecting device operated by the studs of said carrier for flexing the lowermost blade into engagement with one of said studs.

6. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for holding perforated flexible blades in a vertical stack, a support underlying one end only of the stack, a blade carrier having blade-engaging projections movable beneath said magazine, and a bodily movable suction nozzle arranged to be brought into engagement with the unsupported end of the lowermost blade of the stack by the movement of the carrier and movable thereafter to flex said blade and engage its perforation with a projection of the carrier.

'7. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for flexible blades disposed in a vertical stack, a support underlying one end of the stack, a blade-feeding belt movable beneath the magazine, and a swinging carrier having a pair of suction nozzles spaced to pass upon opposite sides of said belt and actuated thereby.

8. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for flexible blades disposed in a vertical stack, a stack support, a blade-feeding belt movable beneath the support, a swinging carrier having a suction nozzle, and actuating mechanism controlled in its operation by the movement of said belt to swing the carrier toward and from the lowermost blade in the stack.

9. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for perforated flexible blades disposed in a vertical stack, a stack support, a blade-feeding belt movable adjacent to the support, a carrier having a suction nozzle movable to deflect a blade from the stack into engaging relation with the feeding belt, a rotary cam for operating the carrier, and means for transmitting an intermittent rotation to said cam in time with the movement of the blade feeding belt.

10. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for flexible blades arranged in a vertical stack, a stack support, a narrow blade-feeding belt movable beneath the stack, a forked carrier having spaced suction nozzles arranged to pass upon opposite sides of said belt, a cam intermittently operated by said belt to move said nozzles into engagement with the free end of the lowermost blade in the stack, and a spring operating to move said carrier and to flex the lowermost blade toward said blade-feeding belt.

11. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for stacked blades, a conveyor belt movable transversely across one end of the magazine, guide plates forthe belt extending transversely away from both sides of the magazine for maintaining the belt accurately in position in approaching and leaving the magazine, and means for transferring successive blades from the magazine to the positioned belt.

12. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for blades in a vertical stack, a conveyor belt movable across the lower end of the magazine, a guide plate for directing said belt toward the magazine, a second guide plate for directing the belt away from said magazine, and means for transferring successive blades from the magazine to said belt at a point between said guide plates.

13. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for perforated blades, a conveyor belt movable eneath the magazine and having spaced studs adapted to be interlocked with the perforation of the lowermost blade in the magazine near one end thereof to withdraw the blade from the magazine, and means for guiding the disengaged end of the blade into proximity to the surface of the belt as it leaves the magazine.

14. In blade handling mechanism, a magazine for superposed blades, a carrier belt movable adjacent to said magazine and having spaced studs adapted to be interlocked with successive blades delivered from the magazine, means for guiding the belt throughout a part of its travel and mechanism actuated by the guided portion of said belt for timing the delivery of blades from the magazine.

15. In a blade handling mechanism, a vertical magazine for holding a stack of flexible perforated blades superposed horizontally one above another, a support at one side of the magazine near its lower end for sustaining the weight of the stack in such manner as to anchor the lowermost blade by one end in position with its other end free to be flexed downwardly independently of the stack above it, a blade carrier movable beneath the magazine and away from said support and having spaced projections shaped to enter the blade perforations, means for flexing the free end of the lowermost blade into positive engagement with a projection of said carrier, and means for moving the carrier so that the anchored end of said lowermost blade is drawn out from beneath the stack.

WILLIAM F. WERNER. 

